Oil draining station



A ug. 16, 1932. w. HoLMEs ET AL OIL DRAINING STATION Filed Sepb. l, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet lv Aug. 16, 1932- E. w. HOLMES ET AL 1,871,522

y OIL DRAINING STATION Filed Sept. 1. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 A.... .A ;;;=L::

? @ad fm) Aug 16, 1932 E. w. HOLMES ET Al. 1,871,522

OIL DRAINING STATION4 Aug. 16, 1932.

E. w. HOLMES ET AL OIL DRAINING STATION Filed Sept.l l, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Zagrzz: 430;@

Patented Aug. 16,1932

- UNITED STATES 'PATaNn ori-ica A:ERNEST W. HOLMES AND EARL E. CLINE, OF 4t'JEIATTAIH'OOG'A, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNORS TO ERNEST HOLMES COMPANY, OF CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, A. CORPORATION F Y TENNESSEE application filed September The present invention relates to improvements in oil draining means and more especially to means for draining waste oll trom automobiles as, for example, from the crankwhich is capable of being brought into a po- A sition beneath the drain hole of the crankcase of an automobile elevated on the lift and to receive the oil drained from the crankcase thereof, the oil receiver being preferably mounted at the surface of the ground or door where it can be manipulated with facility bythe attendant and the waste oil.

received by it can be discharged into a drum, tank or other receptacle which may be mounted onthe surface of the ground or door Where it may be easily placed in position and removed, or such collecting receptacle'v may be placed below the ground or floor level to receive the waste oil, if desired.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved oil receiver which comprises a funnel or oil-receiving member so mounted that it normall occu ies an u right position where it wil 'not o struct tl e' movements of the attendant around it but isl capable of being swung downwardly and laterally into a position where it will receive oil drained from the crankcase or other unit of an automobile. n

Another object is to-provide a-n oil receiver of this character whereinmeans is provided for automatically returning the funnel' or oil-receiving member thereof to upright position when releasedV by the ,attendant and :for normally and yieldingly holding it in such position. t

A further object of the invention is to provide an oil-receiver of' this character wherein an oil reservoir is provided between the funnel or oil-receiving member and the dis- OIL DEG STATION' 1, 1928, Serial Nc. 303,432.,

charge pipe or outlet of the receiver, such reservoir eing of a capacity to receive directly or immediately the charge o' oil from the crankcase, thus avoiding overflowing of the Jfunnel by back pressure due to sluggish dow of the oil from the receiver, the oil being aiorded ample opportunity to drain by gravity from the reservoir into the discharge pipe or outlet of the oil receiver and thence into an appropriate collecting receptacle.

To these and other ends, the invention consists in certain improvments and combi-v nations and arrangements of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described, the features of novelty being pointed out particularly in the claims at the end of the speciication. y

ln the accompanying drawings Figure l is a view in elevation of an oildraining station embodying the present in-v vention, an automobile lift being shown supporting an automobile in elevated position and an oil receiver being shown at one side of the lift and in position to receive waste oil from the crankease of the elevated automobile;

discharge waste oil which it receives directly into a drum, barrel or other suitable receptacle;

Figure 3 is a view, partly in elevation and Figure 2 is a v iew in elevation of a modif l ication of the 011 receiver whereby it may partly in vertical section, of a further modification of the oil receiver, it being shown in` connection with a filter for removing solid particles, sediment and the like from the waste oil and for discharging the filtered oil into a tank or receptacle which is shown arranged below the level of the ground or Hoor; l

Figure 4 shows the oil receiver on an enlarged scale and in vertical elevation, the oilreceiving funnel beingshown in its normal upright position;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of the oil receiver as shown in Figure 4, the oil-receiving funnel being shown in upright position by the Jr'ull lines and in its lowered oil-receiving position by the dotted lines;

- an enlarged scale, of the oil-receiving funnel;

section taken on the line 8-.8 ofigure 7; and

Figure 9 represents a section taken on theline 9-9 of Figure 7.

Similar parts are designed by the same reference characters in the several figures.

4-receiver' which is capable of being used in combinationwith automobile lifts of differ-- The present invention provides a .waste oil ent constructions but which areof the type which lift an automobile bodily above the ground or a floor, the oil receiver being adapted for mounting .at either side of thek lift and preferably at the level or surface of the ground or floor where it may be manipulated quickly and with facility-by the` attendant, an oil draining station being thus provided whereby the waste oil may be drained from the crankcase or otherpart of an elevated or lifted automobile and received by the oil receiver and which may flow by gravityfrom the oil receiver into a drum, barrel or other collecting receptacle, the awkwardness and inconvenience of draining the oil into a rece tacle arranged in a pit beneath the automo ile and of carrying or removing the oil from the pit being avoided.

The preferred embodiments of the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings and will be hereinafter ldescribed in detail, but it is to be understood that the invention is not restricted to the precise constructions shown as equivalent` constructions may be used, and such will be included with.

in the scope of the claims.

The oil draining station providedby the present invention comprises'generally an automobile lift-1 and an oil receiver 2. -Automobile lifts of diii'erent kinds may be used to elevate the automobile to a suitable height above the ground or floor, the surface of which is designated 3, the automobile lift shown as an example in the present instance being of thekind shown and described in the co-pending application o'f Ernest W. Holmes, Serial No. 224,657, iiled October 7, 1927 to which reference is made for a full un erstandnggof an automobile lift of that type.

For the present purposes, it is deemed suicient to explain that the automobile lift shown in a general wayinthe present instance embodies a horizontal frame or cradle 4 which is of a length and width to engage beneath the-front and rear axles of an automobile, and lifting mechanism comprising columns 5 arranged beneath and connected to op osite ends of the frame or Vcradle 4, the li ing columns being composed'of links upwardly by mechanism contained in the base, the base restin on the surface of the ground or floor. .Flgure 1 illustrates diagrammatically the manner in which an -automobile is lifted by such an automobile lift to a suitable height above the ground or ioor to permit draining of'oil therefrom.

The oil receiver 2 comprises a tubular upright support or standard 6 which preferably constitutes 'the outlet through which the waste oil flows from the oil receiver to a suitable collecting receptacle, a reservoir 7 mounted or supported on the standard 6 by aswivel 8 which allows the reservoir to rotate about a vertical axis, and a funnel 9 which is carried by a hollow or tubular stem or 'arm 10 which providesl communication between the funnel andthe reservoir 7. The reservoir 7 is composed of pivotally connected membersor sections 7 and 7b, the section 7 rightposition, as indicatedby the dotte lines.

in'Figure 1, the funnel and its stem then avoiding obstruction to the movements of an attendant around the oil receiver or the automobile lift, but after an automobile has been lifted for the draining of oil therefrom, the funnel l9 is swung downwardly out of its normal upright position, this movement being permltted by rot-ation l"of the reservoirA section 7 b in relation to the reservoir section 7, and the* funnel may be swung laterallyor in an approximately horizontal plane about the vertical axis of the swivel 8 as a center in order to bring the funnel 9 beneath the drain hole in the cranlicase or other part of an automobile, as shown by the full lines in Fig. 1. With the funnel so placed, the usual drain plug may be removed and the oil will then drain from the crankcase into the funnel and will pass along-the stem 10 into the reservoir 7 and from the latter the oil flows through the standard 6 to a suitable collecting receptacle. After the oil has drained completely from the crankcase, the

necting the funnel with the reservoir 9,: in y.

consequence, slo ing to a de ee which will insure gravity ow of the oi from the funnel to the reservoir. The reservoir 7 which receives the drained oil directly from the funnel is'of a capacity sullciently large to receive preferably the full chargeof oil from the crankcase, the conducting of the drained oil directly or immediately into such a reservoir avoiding overflow of the funnel due to sluggishness in the discharge of the oil from the oil receiver, a condition which is likely to exist in cold weather when the viscosity of the oil is high or in a station in which the oil passes from the oil receiver through a filter or strainer which imposes more or less back pressure upon the discharging oil. 'By providing the enlarged reservo1r 7 to immediately receive all of the oil from the funnel, overflow of the funnel is prevented, and the oil accumulated in the reservoir will be afforded ample time to flow therefrom by gravity into the collecting receptacle.

The upright standard 6 which supports the oil receiver and constitutes the oil outlet from the reservoir 7 may rise directly Vfrom the surface 3 of the ground or floor and may be connected to a pipe 11 whichmay be embedded in the ground or door and may lead od to a point where a drum, barrel or other collecting receptacle 12 ma be placed on the surface of the ground or oor, the oil being conducted from the pipe 11 into the receptacle l2 by an upright pipe 13 which may lead upwardly from the pipe 11 and may be connected to a pipe 14 connected by an elbow or swivel 15 to the upper end of the pipe 13 so that the pipe 14 may be swung about a horizontal axis into either the raised position indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 1, which permits the receptacle to be conveniently1 placed for filling, or into the full line position where a nozzle 16 on the pipe 14 may enter an opening in the drum, barrel or receptacle. This arrangement enables a receptacle whichthas been filled with oil to be easily removed and an empty receptacle placed for filling, as the drum or other receptacle rests on the surface of the ground or fioor, it being unnecessary to'lift the filled receptacle from a pit or other depression. A. base 17is preferably provided for supporting the oil receiver rigidly in upright position, this base having a flange whichmay bel bolted or otherwise secured rigidly to the surface of the ground or floor and the base fits closely around the'upright 6 and supports it firmly in upright position. p v

Instead of mounting the oil freceiver on the ground or floor, as shown in Fig. l, the oil.

receiver may be mounted directly on the drum or receptacle in which the waste oil is to be collected. Such an arrangment is shownl in Fig. 2 wherein the oil receiver is supported by a relatively short standard 6, the lower end of which is adapted to be threaded into or otherwise attached to a. drum, barrel or collecting receptacle v12a resting on the sur.

face of the ground or floor so that the oil receiver will discharge oil therefrom directly of the filter, the latter having a tray 21 supportedremovably therein above the pipe 19, the tray 'containing a suitable filtering or straining material which will separate the solid material from the oil,-the compartment 22 of the filter above the tray discharging the oil through a pipe 23 into a suitable tanl or receptacle l2b which may be embedded in the ground or floor below the surface thereof. ln this embodiment of the invention, the reservoir 7 of the oil receiver is sufiiciently high above the filter and collecting receptacle to insure the gravity How of the waste oil from the reservoir through the filter and into the collecting receptacle.

The stem or arm 10 which carries the funnel is ypreferably extensible so that it can be lengthened or shortened to bring the funnel Ita immediately beneath the drain hole in the automobile. For this purpose, the stem is composed of telescopic tubes l0 and 10b, the tube 10n being-fixed to the reservoir section 7 b and the tube 10b being fixed to the funnel. ln order to prevent undue extension of the funnel which would cause separation of the tube 10b from the tube 10a, the tube 10" is provided with a longitudinal slot 10 of suit- Mllable length and the tube 1()a has a pin 10d fixed in it and projecting into said slot, the

range 'of extensible movement of' the tube 10" within the tube l()a being thus limited by the length of the slot. Also, in order to prevent dropping of the funnel and its tube 10b downwardly in the tube 10 when the funnel is brought into its normal u right position, the lower end of the inner tu e 10b is preferably slotted, as at 10e, and the tongues thus formed may be expanded slightly so that they will engage the inside of the tube 10 with suiiif cient friction to hold the tube 10b and the funnel in diiierent adjusted positions and will prevent sliding of the tube 10b downwardly within the tube 10El when the funnel is brought into upright position.

rlhe swivel 8 which connects the reservoir L 7 with the standard 6 comprises Apreferably las a nipple 24e which may constitute the short L standard shown -in Fig. ,2, the lower end of this nipple being threaded into a pipe union 25 attached to the upper end of thevstandard 6, the upper end of the nipple being fitted to rotate in al boss 26 formed on the lower side ofthe reservoir section 7",

` the nipple having a circumferentialange 27 thereon, and a washer 28 may be interposed between this flange and the boss 26 t provide an oil-tight joint to prevent leakage. A ycoiled compression spring 29 preferably encircles the nipple below the flange 27 l thereon, and a cap 30 is threaded on the boss 26 and acts on the spring 29 yto compress it, the spring acting, in turn, upon the iiange 27 and forcing the washer 28 against the boss 26. The swivel thus provided will permit the reservoir 7 and the funnel attached to it to rotate freely about the vertical axis of the swivel as a center but leakage of oil will be prevented by the flange and washer described.

The reservoir 7 which receives the charge of waste oil'immediately from the crankcase and allowsit to iow therefrom to the outlet of the oil receiver is preferably spherical in form, the sections or'members 7 and 7 `composing it being each formed of an approximate hemisphere.v These hemispherical sections of the reservoir are formed with a rotatable joint which lies substantially in the plane'of the section line 8-8 of Figure 7 this plane extending angular-ly across the axes of the standard 6 and funnel stem 10 so that the section 7" to which the funnel is attached may rotate on an approximately horizontal axis but the joint between the reservoir sections will not interferejvith the con-- nections of the standard and funnel with the respective sections of the reservoir. The joint between the reservoir sections is formed referably by providing the section 7" wit an reservoir sections.

4them in roper working relationship and to exert su cient compressionion the when released by the attendantand for nor#v i l acking .ring 33'to prevent leakage of ol'at t' e joint, and means is'also provided for automatically swinging the funnel to its upright position mally and yieldingly holding the funnel in upright position. In the present instance, a

spring is provided which performs these two functions, it consisting of acoiledtorsion and tensionA spring 34, the axis of which is, co- Y incident with the axis about which the re1a "tive pivotal movements of the vreservoir-,sec-

ltions t'le' place, the ends of this spring being received in bosses 35 and 36forme within the reservoir sections 7 and 7", and means is provided for drawing the ends of the spring into these bosses so as to impose suiiicient tension on the spring to cause it to draw the reservoir sections toward one another with suilicient Vforce" to roduce the requisite compression on the pac ing ring 33 and to hold each end of the spring against rotation with respect to the reservoir section to which it is attached so that when the section 7" is rotated incident to the downward swing of spring so that the convolutions at 'the respective ends of the spring will engage in the respective nuts, `and adjusting screws 39 and 40 are fitted loosely through holes in the reservoir sections 7 a and 7" centrally of the bosses 35 and 36, and these screws are threaded into the nuts 37 and 38. By rotating the screws 39 and 40 in the appropriate directions, the nuts 37 and 38 which havebeen previously fitted into the respective ends of the coil spring so that their outer faces are inside the ends of the spring, will be drawn apart and the ends of the spring will be drawn into the bosses 35 and 36 to an exten sufficient to tension the spring to the desire degree and to jam the ends of the spring against the bottoms of the respectivebosses, and as the action of the screws on vthe nuts tends to draw them out of the ends ofthe spring, the sloping sides of .the groovesin the peripheries of the nuts acts to expand the ends of the spring within the surrounding bosses thereby non-rotatably fixing the ends of the spring relatively to the V respective reservoir sections 7 and 7". Preferably means. is provided for arresting the swing of the funnel when it reaches upright position, such means comprising a stop lug 41 formed interiorly on the reservoir section 7 and a stop lug 42 formed interiorly on the reservoir section 7", these stop lugs having 'surfaces which will abut when the reservoir section 7" reaches a position in its rotation where the funnel occupies anupright or a `vertical position. This stop arrangement willy allow the funnel to be swung from its normal upright position only in a direction which will insure that the opening-in` the funnel is uppermost, swinging motion of the funnel in an op site direction which would cause the funn to occupy an inverted position when lowered being `prevented bythe stop lugs. The spring 34 is coiled in adirection'which will'causewinding thereof when the funnel'is swim'g downwardly and, hence .the funnel, when iowerted, a1ways temi vim` to rise or return to its normal upright position; This tendency of the funnel to rise not only serves to automatically swing the unnel into an upright position where it will not obstruct the movements of the attendants around the oil draining device when the latter is not in usebu't it will facilitate the oll draining operation as it will serve to support the funnel against the bottom of the crankcaso or other part of the automobile while the oil is being drained therefrom, thus rendering it unnecessar for the attendant to manually or otherwise support the funnel during this operation.

In using an oil draining station constructed substantially as` hereinbefore described, the funnel will be normally but yieldingly held in upright position above the reservoir 7 and the automobile from which oil is to be drained 'is placedon and elevated bythe automobile lift, in the usual way. After the automobile has been .elevated to'an appropriate height by the lift, it is merely necessary for the attendant to swing the funnel downwardly from its normal upright position and to then swing it horizontally to bring it beneath the crankcase or other part of the automobile, and, if necessary, the tunnel may be shifted longitudinally by lengthening or shortening its stem l() to bring the funnel directlybeneath the oil drain hole, and when the grip of theattendant on the funnel is released, the tendency of the funnel to move upwardly will carry it automatically into position against the bottom of the crankcase or other partpof the automobile, and the funnel will be-thus supported during the oil draining operation which takes place when the usual plug is removed from the oil drain hole. The oil received from the drain hole by the funnel flows by gravity through the tubular stem 10 which slopes downwardly `from the funnel to the reservoir 7 and the latter receives the charge of oil immediately and without imposing appreciable back pressure upon the oil iowing thereto from the funnel. ln order to preventtrapping of air in the upper portion of the reservoir, which might take place if the oil drained from the automobile is sucient to till o r nearly ill the reservoir, air vent holes 43 are provided in the reservoir section 7a near the top thereof through which air contained in the reservoir may vent freely theretrom.- After the oil receiver has received the complete charge of waste oil, the funnel 9 may be swung laterally from beneath the elevated automobile and then released, whereupon it will automatically swing upwardly to its normal elevated position, and the oil received by the reservoir Wiil iow therefrom through the standard 6 to the collecting receptacle, there being no back pressure imposed upon the oil owing from the funnel 'and which might cause it to overflow, as the reservoir 7 is of suicient capacity to receive the full charge ofiwaiste oil directly and immediately from the funnel and to store this oil until it can pass off through the outlet of the oil receiver if backA pressure or high viscosity of the oil retards its discharge.

We claim as our invention :4-

1. An oil receiver comprising a relatively fixed standard, a rigid arm pivoted at one end on said standard to swing substantially vertically and carrying a funnel on its other end, and meansa acting on the pivoted end of said arm to yieldingly hold said arm and funnel normally in. a substantially upright position.

2. An oil receiver comprising a hollow supporting standard which forms an oil outlet, a reservoir mounted on said standard and having means for venting air therefrom, said reservoir embodying sections relatively rotatable on a substantially horizontal axis, one of said sections being connected to the standard, and an oil-receiving funnel connected to the other section of the reservoir.

3r An oil receiver comprising a reservoir embodying sections relativelylrotatable on a` substantially horizontal axis, an oil outlet connected to one of said' sections, an oil-receiving funnel connected to theother section and adapted to swing substantially vertically during rotation thereof, and a spring acting to relatively rotate the sections of the reservoir in a direction to swing the funnel upwardly. I

4. An oil receiver comprising a reservoir embodying sectionsI which abut to form a joint between them whereby said sections may relatively rotate about a substantially horizontal axis, an oil outlet connected to one of said sections, an oil-receiving funnel connected to the other section and adapted to swing substantially vertically, said reservoir having means for venting air therefrom, and

means for relatively pressing said sections to.

5. An oil receiver comprising a reservoir embodying opposed sections which cooperate s tc'forni a lcircular joint betwen them, an oil outlet connected to one of said sections, an oilreceiving funnel connected to the other section, and a spring connecting said sections and acting to draw them together and to relatively rotate them.

6. An oil receiver comprising a reservoir embodying cooperative relatively rotatable sections which abut to form a joint between them, an oil outlet connected to one of said sections, an oil-receiving funnel connected to the other section, and a spring connecting said sections and acting to relatively rotate them in one direction.

7. `An oil receiver comprising an oil-receiving funnel, and a member supporting the funnel to swing in a substantially vertical i direction embodying coo erative; relatively rotatable sections to one o which said funnel is connected, means acting to relatively rotate. said sections in a direction to raise the funnel, and stop means between said sections for arresting the upward swing of the funnel.

8. An oil receiver comprising an oil-receiving funnel, and a member supporting the funnel to swing to and from a substantially upright position, said member embodying relatively rotatable opposed sections, lto one of which the funnel is connected, a torsional i tension spring located substantially in the/ axis of rotation of said sections, and means connecting the ends of said spring to the respective sections, the tension of said spring acting on said sections to hold them in cooperative` relation and the torsion of said spring acting to raise the funnel toward upright osition.

9. oil receiver comprising a hollow relatively fixed standard form' an oil outlet, an oil-rec eiving funnel, an a reservoir between said funnel and outlet embodying cooperative relatively rotatable sections, one of said sections being swivelled 4ron said standard and the other section having 'the funnel fixed thereto and being rotatable to swin the funnel vertically relativelyto the stan ard, and means acting to rotate said funnel carrying section to swing the funnel upwardly. v

10. An oil receiver comprising a hollow supporting standard .forming an oil outlet, an oil-receiving funnel having a tubular stem, andan mtermediate reservoir composed of sections' one of which is connected to the standard and the other of which is connected to the stem of the funnel, said 'sec tions being relatively rotatable about a substantially horizontal axis and having a joint between them which lies in a plane which extends angularly across the axes of the standard and the stem of the funnel, the upper portion of said section' connected to the standard having an air vent.

11. An oil receiver comprising a supporting standard, an .oil-receiving lmnel having a stem composed of telescopicsections, means swivelled on the standard and supportin the funnel to swing laterally about the stan ard our hands.

and also vertically, and means 'eldin'gly holding the telescoplc sections of e stem of the funnel in diierent-adjusted'relations.

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set ERNEST w. HOLMES.' Y. 

